Swap of Joy for Kaige68

[sharpiesgal.livejournal.com]

Title: A Pleasant Evening in Last Chance
Author: sharpiesgal
Fandoms: Star Trek (AOS), Hawaii 5-0, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Pairings: Len McCoy/Pavel Chekov, Steve McGarrett/Danny Williams, Clint Barton/Bruce Banner/Bucky Barnes
Summary: Just another pleasant spring evening in the town of Last Chance, Wyoming.
Author's Notes: In trying to create an AU based on the newest Magificient Seven movie, I created a new world to play in. I hope you enjoy it. Merry Christmas.

Len walked with Jim to the stage coach office. He placed a hand on Jim’s arm to keep him from going inside.

“What?” Jim asked.

“Here,” Len said handing over a ticket he had bought the day before.

“You’re not coming with me, are you?”

“Not this time.”

“Why?”

“I’m tired of picking up sticks every couple of months,” Len explained as he settled on the bench outside of the office. “Besides, I like it here, and folks like me.”

“They won’t like you very much when they find out what you truly are,” Jim cautioned not wanting to see his friend get hurt when the good folks of Last Chance would think when they found out that Len was a country doctor who had become a reluctant gunfighter.

“What am I, Jim?”

“Somebody trying to delude himself into thinking he’s a good old fashioned country doctor, when in fact you’re one of the fastest guns I have ever seen.”

“I am a doctor, damnit! Not a gunfighter!” Len grumped barely controlling the urge to pull his morning coat closer around him to hide the fact that he was wearing a gun. “Folks around here don’t need to know I can hold my own when pushed.”

“Sure, you’re not Holiday,” Jim quickly reassured Len. “But, when pushed you do give as good as you get.”

Len sighed heavily. He knew Jim was right, but didn’t want to admit it out loud. He wanted to hold onto his delusion for as long as he could. “Let’s agree to not agree and you get on the stage so you can catch up with Chris in California.”

“Alright,” Jim agreed. “But, if you show up at Chris’ ranch sometime in the next few months, I get to say I told you so.”

“You’re an insufferable ass.”

“Yes,” Jim agreed with a quiet chuckle as he settled onto the bench beside Len to wait on the stage that was rarely on time.

*&*
Clint settled onto the bench outside of the stage coach office and bumped Len on the knee startling the older man out of the light doze he had fallen into.

Len pushed his hat off his forehead and snapped, “Damnit, Barton! You just ruined a good dream.”

“Not asking,” Clint lightly quipped.

“Not telling,” Len retorted. “Now, what do you want?”

“Buck kicked me out of the office, so I was wondering if you want to go with me to McGarrett’s and play cards,” Clint replied.

“What’s Bruce doing?”

“He’s out at the Chekov spread helping with the shearing of the sheep since the old man is in bed recovering from a weeklong drunk.”

“Well, in that case, I guess I can go with you and keep you out of trouble,” Len remarked with his mouth twisting into a teasing smirk.

“Right,” Clint drawled as he stood up and held out his hand to Len. “Sure you will.”

Len caught hold of Clint’s hand and allowed the younger man to pull him to his feet. “Not my fault you attract trouble.”

Clint shook his head and walked off.

With a dry chuckle, Len followed him.

*&*

Danny watched from the bar as Clint and Len stroll into the saloon and settle at a table as far away from the door as possible. He shook his head when Len produced a deck of battered playing cards from the pocket of his grey morning coat and began to shuffle them.

“I’ll throw you out now, if you start any trouble,” he warned them as he brought over a bottle and three glasses.

“Ye of little faith, Williams,” Len drawled as he dealt the cards.

“No,” Danny sighed as he settled into a chair between them. “I’ve just had more than my fair share of trouble this week.”

“What did Steve do now?” Clint asked as he looked at his cards and tossed them down in mild disgust pretending that he hadn’t seen Danny’s partner silently enter the saloon and saddle up to the bar.

“Don’t you mean what hasn’t he done?” Len offered as he waited for Danny to pour them each a drink before looking at his cards. He had heard somebody silently entered the saloon and figured from Clint’s expression that it was Steve McGarrett, the co-owner of the saloon.

“I resent that, McCoy,” Steve said from his perch at the bar.

“Resent, resemble,” Len quipped with a shrug. Steve’s huffiness didn’t bother him. “It’s all the same to me, McGarrett. Now, stop pouting and come join us. I need help keeping Barton honest.”

“Fuck you, asshole,” Clint retorted before taking a sip of his drink.

“Not my type,” Len tossed back causing everyone to chuckle.

*&*

Danny returned to work as several cowboys from the nearby ranches came pouring into the saloon. Soon there was a packed house, and he was happy to have Steve there keeping everybody entertained and peaceful.

Len and Clint kept an eye on things, but for the most part kept quietly playing cards until a harried looking young man came in looking for Len.

Len went with the young man and was replaced by the town marshal as he came in looking for his wayward deputy.

“Hey, Buck,” Clint said as his boss took Len’s place across from Clint. He signaled for Danny to send over a beer. “Anything exciting happen after I left?”

“You mean besides me getting some work done?” Buck asked as he watched Clint cheat at solitaire. “Then, no.”

“Just another boring day in Last Chance,” Clint murmured in disappointment. He was in the mood to do more than just stroll the streets keeping an eye out for trouble makers or sitting in the office playing checkers.

“If these boys get rowdy, you’ll get the excitement you’re craving,” Buck reminded him as he accepted his beer from Steve before the other man went back to entertaining a group of cowhands near the roulette table.

“True,” Clint agreed. He gathered up the cards in front of him and started shuffling them. “You got time for a few hands?”

“Sure,” Buck replied. “We got a couple of hours to kill before we walk the town for the night.”

“You really know how to brighten my day,” Clint quipped sarcastically as he dealt out the cards.

Buck chuckled as he picked up his cards secretly hoping he had been dealt a decent hand.

*&*

Bruce settled back on his heels and wiped his brow. He had forgotten how tiring shearing sheep could be, but it was a pleasant kind of exhaustion that enveloped him. “Anymore, Pavel?”

“No,” Pavel answered in a slightly Russian-accented voice. “That was the last one.”

“Good,” Bruce murmured. He could pack up his tools and head home, maybe stopping in town to see what kind of trouble his lovers had gotten into. He stood up and stretched the kinks out of his body. “Does your mama need help with anything else?”

“No, sir,” Pavel replied with a warm smile. He liked working with Bruce and hoped one day he could be his apprentice. “Mama has everything under control.”

“Alright,” Bruce said as he began collecting his tools and putting them away. “I’ll be on my way as soon as I get my mess cleaned up.”

“If you wait a few minutes,” Pavel said as he pitched in to help Bruce clean up. “You can ride back with Dr. McCoy.”

“What’s he doing out here?” Bruce asked out of curiosity. He knew McCoy rarely left town unless it was a major medical emergency.

“Mama sent me to town to get him because papa decided he needed to shoe his old mare and she kicked him in the head because he wasn’t paying attention to her,” Pavel explained as he swept up the little wisps of wool that miss going into the shearing bags.

“Is he alright?”

“Yes, but mama has to make certain he doesn’t have a concussion.”

“That’s always fun,” Bruce lightly quipped.

“And the main reason I’m going into town with you two,” Pavel quickly retorted. He knew not to get in between his parents at anytime, especially when they were fighting. And, they would be fighting after a night spent watching for a concussion to develop or not.

“Sounds like a good plan,” Bruce agreed having grown up with parents who fought all the time. “You can bunk at the stables unless you have other plans.”

“Thank you,” Pavel said. “I’ll keep that in mind if my other plans fall through.”

*&*

Danny rolled his eyes when he saw Len, Bruce and Pavel enter the saloon. He hoped that they didn’t bring trouble with them since the saloon had been loud, but trouble free for most of the night.

“I saw that Williams,” Len quipped. “I solemnly swear not to cause any trouble.”

“I’ve heard that from you before McCoy,” Danny reminded Len as he served another round of drinks to a pair of cowboys who had taken up residence at the end of the bar.

“I’ll make certain he behaves,” Pavel vowed as he pushed Len toward the table where Clint and Bucky sat playing cards while Bruce brought up the rear.

“You do that,” Danny muttered as he motioned for Steve to pick up another round of drinks for another group of cowhands who were in town blowing off some steam.

*&*

Len settled into a chair next to Clint while Pavel and Bruce occupied the remaining chairs at the table. “Been a quiet night, so far?” he asked.

“So far,” Bucky replied.

“That’s good,” Bruce said with a soft sigh. “I’m too tired to be of any help should trouble erupt.”

“How was the harvest?” Clint asked changing the topic of conversation. He shuffled the deck of cards and dealt another game.

“We did well,” Pavel answered. “We will be able to fulfill our contract with the Army for winter blankets.”

“I don’t even envy you all that weaving,” Bucky said as he discarded two cards in hopes that the new ones he picked up would improve his hand.

“I don’t envy my sisters all that weaving,” Pavel lightly quipped. He looked at his hand and folded since he didn’t do well at games of chance. “I think I have papa talked into letting me be Bruce’s apprentice this winter.”

“Hmmm,” Clint hummed as he discarded three cards. He picked up three new ones and they didn’t improve his hand one bit.

“I could use the help, especially since Tony left,” Bruce admitted. He laid down his cards since he was too tired to concentrate. “And, I fold.”

“It has been rather quiet since he left,” Clint observed. “And, I fold as well.”

“Quiet means fewer bullet holes for me to patch up,” Len said as he tossed a couple of chips in the pot, and then laid his cards down to reveal a full house. “I’ve got a full house.”

“I got two pair,” Bucky said as he added some chips to the pot and then flipped his cards over.

“Well,” Len drawled. “Aren’t you the lucky one.”

“So it appears,” Bucky murmured before he stifled a yawn behind his good hand. He rarely if ever won at cards. He checked his watch and noted that it was time for his nightly patrol of town. “Now, it’s time to put the town to bed.”

“Which means I have to earn my keep,” Clint quipped as he watched Bucky stand and stretch before heading toward the door. He gathered his earlier winnings and followed Bucky out the door.

“Well, I think it’s time for all creatures big and small to turn in for the day,” Len suggested. “Pavel, you can bunk with me once we get Bruce home in one piece.”

“Sounds like a good idea,” Pavel agreed. “Bruce?”

“Don’t have to tell me twice,” Bruce said between yawns. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

*&*

Danny didn’t bother to hide his smile as he watched his friends leave thankful to have them in his live and happy to see them the following day.